November 20, 2011

In the beginning of fall, I wrote and spoke about different aspects of change…how it can be an emotional time, an exciting time, and yet somewhat difficult because of the unknown.  Next week, we embark on one of the biggest changes in our church in decades – the translation of the new Roman Missal.  Some may grumble, some may be enlightened, and some may be indifferent to the changes that we pray each week going forward.

Over the last few weeks, we have had bulletin inserts explaining the key parts of the Mass, and the changes that they will have.  As we journey through the learning process, know that it will be unfamiliar and awkward at times, but also know that the Mass that we are praying is as close to original Latin translation, as well as the words of scripture and the actual words of Jesus on the night before he died.

This video, produced by LifeTeenInc, and features Fr. John Muir, of the Diocese of Phoenix, AZ, gives a strong overview to the reasons and the process for the changes.  While educational, it also is enlightening.  Enjoy!

See a couple of other videos about the change here.

Here are a couple of additional videos that help give insight to the upcoming changes….these may be more appropriate for teens and young people, but all can relate. Enjoy!

November 13, 2011

Since Vatican Council II Catholics have been learning that the Mass consists of two principal parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. These two form an inseparable unity. “The two parts which in some way go to make up the Mass, namely, the liturgy of the Word and the liturgy of the Eucharist, are so closely bound up with each other that they amount to one single act of worship” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, #56). The wondrous deeds of God on behalf of people which we read about in the Scriptures, we celebrate in the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Current Translation: Priest:  The Lord be with you. All:      And also with you. Priest:  Lift up your hearts. All:       We lift them up to the Lord. Priest:  Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. All:       It is right to give him thanks and praise.

New Translation: Priest:   The Lord be with you. All:        And with your spirit. Priest:   Lift up your hearts. All:        We lift them up to the Lord. Priest:   Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. All:        It is right and just.

 

 The Eucharistic Prayer begins with the Preface.  Beginning with an introductory dialogue calling the community to join in praising and thanking God, the Preface sets forth, in the body of its content, a particular reason for praising God on this occasion. It is always some aspect of God’s goodness in creation and redemption.   The Preface Dialogue will change slightly.  As we have seen earlier the beginning dialogue changes and, now, the last will change.  This declarative statement “It is right and just”  echoes the sentiment of the human heart, knowing that it is always “right and just” to give praise to God.

The Sanctus: Moved by the proclamation in the Preface, the presiding priest invites all to sing the acclamation of praise: the “Holy, Holy, Holy.” The assembly joins with the whole creation, as with one voice the entire communion of saints gives glory to God: “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of hosts, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”  The change from “God of power and might” to “God of hosts” is reminiscent of the words in the Creed, acknowledging that God is God of all created beings; those on earth and the hosts of angels in heaven.  This phrase is a more direct translation from the vision of Isaiah the Prophet (Isaiah 6:3).

The Institution Narrative. The priest narrates what Jesus did at the Last Supper, as he asks God’s Spirit to do for us now precisely what Jesus did at the supper. That is why the Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks of “the words of institution” rather than “the words of consecration” (#1362). The action of the Holy Spirit empowers the words of Christ, spoken by the priest, to effect the real presence, under the appearances of bread and wine, of the Body and Blood of Christ.

Current Translation: Take this, all of you, and eat it: This is my body which will be given  up for you.	New Translation: Take this all of you, and eat of it, for this is my Body, which will be given up for you.
Current Translation: Take this, all of you, and drink from it: this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me.	New Translation: Take this, all of you, and drink from it: For this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.

 The addition of the word “of” in the narrative denotes the fact that the Eucharist is something that is taken and shared.  The action of receiving Communion is a communal act, not an act that take place for one person alone.

There are many changes in the consecratory prayer over the wine.  First is the change from “cup” to “chalice”.  The historical meaning of the word “chalice” is that this is a special cup that is shared by many, more than just a cup for personal consumption.  Second is the change of “everlasting” which may denote that at one time there was not a covenant but now there is; to “eternal” which means the covenant was forever in God’s heart.   Third is the change from “shed” to “poured out”.  This is more accurate linguistically.  One cannot “shed” a chalice; but a chalice may be “poured out” and we know that Jesus “poured out”  His Blood for us on the cross.

The change from “all” to “many” has a two-fold reason.  First, this is a more accurate translation of the words from the Last Supper as recorded in Matthew’s gospel and secondly, Pope Benedict points out that there are those who have not nor will not accept the salvation won for us in Christ. This is more theologically accurate in showing that we are still a people “on the way” seeking salvation and “all” are not there yet.

The Memorial Acclamations. Immediately following the Institution Narrative, the deacon or the priest extends the invitation for us to proclaim our faith in the action that has taken place on the altar by proclaiming: “The mystery of faith.” Several proclamations may be used, each proclaiming the paschal mystery, namely, the whole plan of God realized in Christ’s death and resurrection and to be brought to completion in his return in glory.  The acclamation, “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again” has been omitted from the present text because it is a different kind of acclamation; more of a declaration.  Since the style of acclamation should be consistent, this other has been omitted.

The Final Acclamation. An enthusiastic Amen places the seal of the community’s approval on all that has been said and done in the Eucharistic Prayer. The three acclamations of the people (the Holy, Holy, Holy, the Memorial Acclamation, the Great Amen) make abundantly clear that the Eucharistic Prayer, while proclaimed by the priest, is yet the prayer of the entire assembly or, better still, the prayer of Christ and his people.

November 6, 2011

The revision of the words of our Creed is like fine tuning an instrument.  When playing a musical instrument, we want the purest and most perfect sound it can make.  So it is with the words of our Creed.  We want to use the most precise words that we can in order to express our faith in God, Jesus and the Church.  Over the centuries, language and the use of words change and takes on different meanings.  In order to profess our faith with precision, from time to time, words are changed, fine-tuned to make them clearer to the one who professes the Creed or to someone who may be hearing it for the first time.

Below, you will find a explanation for each of the changes to the Creed.  They may seem small, but each of these changes makes us understand our faith on a deeper level and gives us an opportunity to reflect on the greatness of our faith and its tradition.

We know that the words of the Creed are more than words.  They are more than a statement of faith.  For members of the Church they are a way of living.  The Creed is our Church’s most cherished prayer.  It is a powerful sight to see the Elect standing in the midst of the community in the light of the Easter Candle, making their first public profession of faith before their baptism.  Their Renunciation of Sin and Profession of Faith, at the Easter Vigil in one of the most simple parts of the baptismal rite but one of the most rich since we have seen the seed of faith that has been planted in the heart of another person come to full flower!  The revised text of the Nicene Creed which we recite at Sunday Mass helps to define more clearly what it is that we are praying at the Mass.

Let us look at the revised text. The bold print are the words that have changed in the prayer.

I believe in one God,

the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all things visible and invisible.

 

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,

the Only Begotten Son of God,

born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;

through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation

he came down from heaven

 

and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate

of the Virgin Mary,

and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;

he suffered death and was buried,

and rose again on the third day

in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory

to judge the living and the dead

and his kingdom will have no end.

 

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord,

the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets.

 

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church

I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins

and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead

and the life of the world to come.  Amen.

You will notice right away that the Creed begins with “I believe” rather than “We believe”.  The Creed is the profession of faith of the whole Church, but each one of us proclaims it to profess our personal faith together with others.

“Of all things visible and invisible” – The choice of these words over “seen and unseen” make this statement a bit more precise.  Many things can be “seen and unseen” and are all part of the material world.  I can be seen in my home or at work or unseen if I am absent.  Using the words “visible and invisible” speak not only of the material world but also of the whole of the material and spiritual creation, the realm of saints and angels, that part of creation that is not visible to us humans.

“Only Begotten” – This title of Jesus is repeated from the Gloria.  It was the desire of the translators that we be consistent in our use of titles of Jesus throughout the liturgy.  It not only clarifies who Jesus is, as Only Begotten Son but also brings a continuity to our prayer in repeating phrases so that there is more a unity in our spoken prayer.

“Born of the Father before all ages” replaced “eternally begotten of the Father” and gives us a fuller understanding of the Trinity.  Jesus was present with the Father “before all ages”, that is, before the beginning of creation.  These words echo the theology and words of the Prologue of the gospel of Saint John, “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

“Consubstantial”  This word is a mouthful.  It replaces the expression “one in Being” and it better describes the relationship between God the Father and God the Son.  Using the words “one in being” denotes that the Father and the Son share “something”; whereas, “consubstantial” means that they, the Father and Son, are of the same “something”, they are the same substance. This clearly notes that there is no difference “in being” of the Father and the Son.  This is a very important theological issue.  In the early centuries of the Christian Church, people were divided over this understanding which gave rise to many of the early heresies centered on the person of Jesus.

“And by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary” Again, this change may sound unnecessary but theologically makes a big difference.  In the present Creed we pray that “he [Jesus] was born of the Virgin Mary and became man.”  If you look at this statement, it tells us that Jesus became man, took on our humanity, when he was born.  Truly, we believe more than that.  We believe that the moment of her conception, Jesus became flesh in Mary’s womb.    His humanity began at his conception, not at his birth.  This is the whole rationale behind our pro-life stance as Catholic Christians.  What we have been praying is not wrong, but this more clearly defines what it is that we believe.

 

“He suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”

In the present transition we pray, “he suffered, died and was buried.  On the third day he rose again…”  The use of this sentence structure divides the Paschal Mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection into separate events. The new translation states that the saving act of Jesus for our salvation was one complete act: “He suffered death, was buried and rose again”.

From “in fulfillment” to “in accordance” with the Scripture.  Jesus act of salvation did more than just fulfill the Old Testament prophecies.  It fulfilled them and happened according to his own teachings and predictions of his death and resurrection in the New Testament gospels.

“I confess one Baptism”.  Presently we pray that we “acknowledge” on baptism.  You know from your own experience that you can “acknowledge” something without “believing” in it.  Praying that we “confess” one baptism shows that this is a matter of faith.

“I look forward to the resurrection” resounds with confidence that, as a faithful people, the life of resurrection is something that we long for and pray to be fulfilled in us.  Being confident in our life with God after this earthly life is something that we should boldly proclaim.  This statement helps us in this endeavor.

 

October 30, 2011

A Time of Liturgical Renewal

This is an exciting time for the Church in the United States.  Beginning next month, on the First Sunday of Advent, we will be praying a new translation of the texts of the Mass.  For the next four Sundays, we will be illustrating for you these new texts through bulletin inserts and website columns.

“Why is the Church changing the texts of the Mass?” is the first question many people have asked.  To answer the question properly, we have to look back at what the Second Vatican Council hoped to accomplish in its liturgical renewal.  Even though it has been forty years since the Council, the Church has taken just “baby steps” in what the Council hoped to achieve.

You may remember that, immediately following the Council, we prayed the “old Mass” (with the priest still with his back to the altar) in English.  Only in 1969 was the New Order (Novus Ordo) of the Mass introduced.  You may also remember that there was very little teaching of the renewed texts to the people.

We are embarking on the revision of these same texts.  Mass, in the vernacular, will be celebrated using different words, words that are theologically more precise; words that better express what it is that we believe.  It is not what we have been praying has been wrong, but like many areas of our life, it may be time for us to look again and hone our skills at worship.  It is our hope that in the next four weeks, all the Catholic faithful of our diocese will gain a better understanding of the Mass, a deeper appreciation of the Eucharist, and a greater zeal to worship God with their whole minds and hearts.

The first change in the Mass is in the Opening Dialogue between the priest and congregation.

Current Translation: Priest: The Lord be with you. All:      And also with you.

New Translation: Priest: The Lord be with you. All:      And with your spirit.

 This change is occurring for two reasons.  First, in many of our Scriptures, especially the greetings of Saint Paul to the different communities to which he was writing, uses the phrase, “…may the Lord be with your spirit.”; therefore the words of this translation more closely mirror the scriptures.  Second, in the Latin text the response of the people would be Et cum spiritu tuo. Translating more accurately “And with your spirit.” matches the response that already exists in most other major languages.  We believe that the liturgy should speak a “universal” language, that when the Church celebrates the Mass, no matter is what part of the world, it is celebrating by using the same words.

An important part of the Introductory Rites of the Mass is the Penitential Act (formerly called the Penitential Rite).  This act places us squarely before the merciful power of our God.  The Penitential Act that is most commonly used is Form C where the priest or deacon speaks an attribute of the person of Jesus and we respond with the “Lord, have mercy.  Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.”  This form of the Penitential Act will not change.  What is changing are the two forms, Form A and Form B.    Let us look first at Form A.

Current Translation: I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and what I have failed to do. and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord, our God.

New Translation: I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and what I have failed to do. through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary, ever-virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord, our God.

Many of our older Catholics will recognize the triple admission of our sin from the older form of the Mass, prior to the current translation.  This was added to the present prayer because it was recognized as an important part of our prayer-tradition.  Our Holy Father points out that this phrase had been part of the Church’s prayer for over four hundred years.  We are reclaiming this prayer-tradition in our new liturgy.

Most parishes do not use Form B of the Penitential Act.  It, too, has been revised.  Perhaps with a new translation, we might use it more frequently.

Current Translation: Priest:  Lord, we have sinned against you. Lord, have mercy. ALL:   Lord, have mercy. Priest:  Lord, show us your mercy and love. ALL:  And grant us your salvation.

New Translation: Priest:  Have mercy on us, O Lord. ALL:   For we have sinned against you. Priest:  Show us, O Lord, your mercy. ALL:  And grant us your salvation.

The last change in the Introductory Rites comes with the singing or recitation of the Gloria.  Where we have used a more familiar translation of the Latin text, we are now employing a more formal translation.  The change to “on earth peace to people of good will” is so that our liturgy will, again, be more scripturally based.  This is what the angels proclaimed at the birth of Christ according to Luke’s gospel.  In an attempt to bring a greater uniformity to the prayers throughout the liturgy, we will refer to Jesus as “Only Begotten Son” and that he “take(s) away the sins of the world”.  We use both of these phrases in other parts of the liturgy and it helps us to be consistent in our prayer.

Current Translation: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly king, almighty God and Father,     we worship you, we give you thanks     we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us. you are seated at the right hand of the Father receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father.  Amen.

New Translation: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory. Lord God, heavenly king, O God, almighty Father.   Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world:      have mercy on us. you take away the sins of the world  receive our prayer. you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High Jesus Christ,  with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father.  Amen.